Electronic Transaction Receipt System and Method

ABSTRACT

In connection with a sales transaction, an electronic receipt is issued to the buyer that includes hyperlinks. A hyperlink can be associated with post-sale interaction with the product seller, the product manufacturer or parties acting on their behalf that involves the product itself, such as a product return procedure, a product warranty procedure, receiving rebate notices and recall notices, product registration procedures and similar functions.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/473,943 filed May 28, 2009, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 09/776,412 filed Feb. 2, 2001, which claims benefitof the filing date of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/180,102, filed Feb. 3, 2000, entitled “Network-Based Purchase ReceiptConfirmation and Organization Application with Functional FacilitatingAncillary Merchant and Service Links,” and U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/236,007, filed Sep. 27, 2000, entitled “System andMethod for Compiling, Storing and Retrieving Digital Receipts,” ishereby claimed, and the specifications thereof are incorporated hereinin their entirety by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to electronically performedsteps of sales and other transactions in which a receipt is issued and,more specifically, to the issuance of electronic transaction receiptshaving links to related information useful to the holder of the receipt.

2. Description of the Related Art

Receipts are issued to participants in transactions to provide evidencethat the transaction has been completed. Merchants, banks and othershave long issued paper receipts to customers. The advent of electronictransactions has led to the issuance of receipts in electronic orcomputer-readable format. For example, in electronic commerce(“e-commerce”) transactions conducted via the global super-networkreferred to as the Internet, receipts are typically issued in the formof an electronic mail (“e-mail”) message to the buyer.

In a typical consumer e-commerce transaction, the buyer uses a personalcomputer or similar (client) device to communicate with a remote(server) computer operated by or on behalf of a merchant or seller. Thehypermedia user interface environment of that portion of the Internetknown as the World Wide Web or simply “Web” facilitates consumere-commerce shopping because it allows sellers to display images of theproducts, attractive advertisements, and other graphics on Web pages.Web pages that allow a user to send information to the server aregenerally referred to as forms. In accordance with Web conventions,forms associated with products for sale typically include, in additionto some combination of text and graphics intended to induce a user intopurchasing an item, hyperlinks and interactive graphical structures suchas buttons and checkboxes. A buyer can indicate the items he isinterested in purchasing by selecting or activating correspondinghyperlinks or graphical structures using a mouse or similar input deviceon his computer. (Activating a hyperlink or graphical structure in thismanner is commonly referred to as “clicking on” it.) In response, theserver presents the buyer with a form requesting payment information,such as credit card information. In response to submitting that form,the server may present the buyer with a form confirming the transaction.In addition, the server may cause an e-mail message to be transmitted toan e-mail account designated by the buyer. The e-mail message can serveas a receipt if it includes information identifying the items purchasedand the price paid. It may also include information describing shippingterms, such as when the seller expects to ship the items to the buyer.

Although e-mail message receipts are primarily plain text that setsforth the essential information identifying and confirming the salestransaction, they may also include graphics and hyperlinks. For example,e-commerce retailers have been known to include product advertisementsin e-mail receipts. Such a product advertisement can include a hyperlinkassociated with an image depicting the product. In response to clickingon the image, the user is presented with an opportunity to purchase theproduct.

Another type of hyperlink that e-commerce retailers have been known toinclude in e-mail receipts relates to shipping. In response to clickingon such a hyperlink, the user is presented with an opportunity to trackthe status of his order. The tracking function may be done inassociation with the retailer's Web site or, alternatively, anindependent shipper's Web site such as UPS or FEDEX.

It would be desirable to provide electronic transaction receipts thatmore fully exploit the opportunity for inducing additional sales. Itwould further be desirable to provide electronic transaction receiptsthat have hyperlinks directed to novel functionality. It would stillfurther be desirable to provide a system that stores electronictransaction receipts and gathers information from stored receipts. Thepresent invention addresses these problems and deficiencies and othersin the manner described below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to issuing an electronic receipt for asales transaction that includes a hyperlink associated with post-saleinteraction with the product seller, the product manufacturer or partiesacting on their behalf that involves the product itself, such as aproduct return procedure, a product warranty procedure, receiving rebatenotices and recall notices, product registration procedures and similarfunctions. Clicking on the hyperlink can cause, for example, the buyerto be presented with instructions for returning a product or with thetext of a consumer product warranty under which the buyer can return theproduct for servicing or replacement. The buyer may further participatein a procedure for returning the product. For example, the buyer may beelectronically given a return authorization number or a return shippinglabel that the buyer can then print.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate one or more embodiments of theinvention and, together with the written description, serve to explainthe principles of the invention. Wherever possible, the same referencenumbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or likeelements of an embodiment, and wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates the issuance of an electronic receipt having ahyperlink as a step of a transaction;

FIG. 2 illustrates an embodiment of the invention in which, inconnection with a sales transaction, an originator issues a receipthaving links to one or more of the seller, the originator and a thirdparty;

FIG. 3 illustrates a system in which buyers and sellers, third partiesand non-seller originators of receipts communicate information via ahypermedia network;

FIG. 4 illustrates a computer system operable by a buyer of goods orservices in which electronic receipts are received;

FIG. 5 illustrates a computer system operable by a seller of goods orservices in which electronic receipts are issued;

FIG. 6 illustrates a computer system operable by an originator entitythat issues receipts but is not also a seller of the goods or services;

FIG. 7A is a flow diagram illustrating a method of operation of thesystem;

FIG. 7B is a continuation sheet of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for organizing andotherwise handling electronic receipts;

FIG. 9 illustrates a screen display representing a receipt;

FIG. 10 illustrates a screen display representing further informationregarding a purchased item listed on a receipt;

FIG. 11 illustrates a screen display representing a buyer's collectedreceipts;

FIG. 12A illustrates a screen display representing further informationregarding one of the buyer's receipts;

FIG. 12B is a continuation sheet of FIG. 12A;

FIG. 13 illustrates a screen display representing the use of receiptcategories; and

FIG. 14 illustrates a screen display representing a buyer's receipts fora selected category.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As illustrated in FIG. 1, in a transaction of any suitable type anoriginator 10 issues an electronic receipt 12 to a user. The transactioncan be any type of transaction in which it is known to issue receipts.Originator 10 can be, for example, among other types of entities, aseller of goods or services. Accordingly, user 14 can be, for example, abuyer of the goods or services. Receipt 12 has a link 16 that associatesit with additional functionality. It is such an embodiment of theinvention that is described in further detail below.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the transaction can be a salestransaction conducted between a seller 18 and a remotely located buyer20 via a hypermedia computer network 22 such as that which is presentlyknown as the World Wide Web or simply “Web.” The Web is part of theglobal super-network presently referred to as the Internet.Nevertheless, network 22 can be any sub-network of the Internet or anyother suitable wide-area network through which potential buyers andpotential sellers can conduct transactions. Although other networkenvironments may be suitable, the hypermedia environment of the Webprovides a number of advantages that will become apparent from thedescriptions below. In accordance with the hypermedia environment of theillustrated embodiment of the invention, link 16 of FIG. 1 can be ahyperlink. As well known in the art, the Web is a client-serverenvironment in which computers denominated as clients can communicatewith other computers denominated as servers. Servers transmit toclient's documents known as Web pages. Hyperlinks may be embedded in aWeb page document to link it to another document or to invoke an appletor other executable code that performs some functional processing, i.e.,more than merely retrieving another predetermined Web page. The term“document” includes files and other items of any suitable medium,including graphical imagery, still and moving images, and sound.

As described below in further detail, in response to a sales transactionbetween seller 18 and buyer 20, an originator 24 issues or transmits asales transaction receipt 26 to buyer 20 via network 22 on behalf ofseller 18. Although in the illustrated embodiment of the invention,originator 24 and seller 18 are separate entities, in other embodimentsthey can be the same entity or otherwise integrated with one another. Inother words, in such alternative embodiments the same entity that sellsthe goods or services also issues receipt 26. Also, note that althoughFIG. 2 illustrates only the relationships between a single seller 18, asingle buyer 20 and a single originator 24 for purposes of clarity,there may be many more of such entities, i.e., plural entities, asindicated in FIG. 3 by the additional buyer 28 and additional seller 30and the ellipses (“ . . . ”). Either of buyers 20 and 28 can conduct asales transaction with either of sellers 18 and 30, and the exemplarydescriptions below apply equally to all such transactions.

Although in the illustrated embodiment of the invention the salestransaction is conducted electronically via a computer network such asthe Web, in other embodiments the sales transaction itself can beconducted in any other suitable manner. For example, the transaction canbe conducted in a retail store that the buyer physically enters, shopsin, and makes a purchase at the seller's point-of-sale (POS) terminal orregister. In such an embodiment the seller's POS terminal communicateswith an originator or, alternatively, with the seller's own means forgenerating electronic receipts. In response to an indication ofcompletion of the transaction, the originator or the seller generatesand transmits the receipt to the buyer via the hypermedia network. Asexplained in further detail below, transmitting the receipt to the buyerrefers to transmitting it to a computing device designated by the buyeror associated with the buyer.

There are embodiments of the invention in which a third party 32 canalso be involved. As described below in further detail, third party 32may, in some such embodiments, be an entity that sells goods or servicesthat are commercially related to those that are the subject of theprimary transaction between seller 18 and buyer 20. An example of acommercially related product is one that is used as an accessory to theproduct sold in the primary transaction. A straightforward example of an“accessory,” as that term is used in the consumer products field, is abattery charger for a battery-operated radio. Likewise, a drill bit iscommonly considered an accessory for a drill. Another example of acommercially related product is one that is used as in the same field asthe product sold in the primary transaction. For example, it is wellrecognized that a drill and a saw are both used in the field ofwoodworking.

Alternatively or in addition, in some embodiments of the invention thirdparty 32 can be an entity that accepts returns on behalf of seller 18.It is common for buyers to return products to electronic retailers, andcompanies exist that perform this service for retailers. Alternativelyor in addition to the above, third party 32 can be an entity thatprovides product warranty service on behalf of seller 18.

As further described below, receipt 26 is an electronically createddocument instantiated by encoding the information included therein intoa standardized format such as that known as Extensible Markup Language(XML). Tools for performing such coding are well-known in the art towhich the invention relates and include commercially available softwaresuch as JDOM and XERCES, which are publicly distributed on the Internetin both binary and source form. As well understood by persons skilled inthe art to which the invention relates, such tools encode theinformation from a JAVA class, application, servlet or applet. Receipt26 can be encrypted to provide security using any suitable means, suchas the RSA toolkit produced by RSA Security of Bedford, Mass. and theVERISIGN toolkit produced by Verisign In. of Mountain View, Calif. Oncecreated, receipt 26 can be wrapped in a SOAP envelope. As well-known inthe art, SOAP, which refers to the Simple Object Access Protocol, is astandards-based way of adding an XML envelope to an XML documents sothat the recipient(s) can know what the contents of the XML document aresupposed to contain and what, if any, processing is expected or requiredto be performed. The encrypted, wrapped receipt 26 can then betransmitted by any suitable delivery mechanism. Examples of well-knownmechanisms that persons of skill in the art will recognize as suitablefor this purpose include electronic mail (e-mail), file transferprotocol (FTP), a messaging middleware such as JAVA Messaging Service(JMS), or a proprietary commercially available product such as MQSERIESfrom IBM Corporation.

As further described below, in the illustrated embodiment of theinvention receipt 26 includes hyperlinks 34, 36 and 38. As well-known inthe art, a hyperlink is a reference or link from some point in onehypermedia document to another document or point in a document.Hyperlink 34 is a link to (something stored on the server operated by)seller 18; hyperlink 36 is a link to (something stored on the serveroperated by) originator 24; and hyperlink 38 is a link to (somethingstored on the server operated by) third party 32. Although in theillustrated embodiment of the invention three hyperlinks 34, 36 and 38are included in receipt 26 for purposes of illustration and clarity, anynumber of such links can be included, and they can link to any othersuitable entity. Indeed, receipts having multiple links to multipledocuments, applets or other suitable items stored on a server or ondifferent servers are very much contemplated, as illustrated by theexamples described below.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the client computer operated by buyer 20 canbe a conventional personal computer on which a Web browser 40 operates.As well-known in the art, a browser is a software program that allows auser to receive and view hypertext documents from a server. Receiveddocuments are displayed on the video monitor 42 of the computer or othersuitable display. Common commercially available browsers such asNETSCAPE NAVIGATOR and MICROSOFT EXPLORER typically display a hyperlinkin some distinguishing way, e.g. in a different color, font or style.Browsers associate hyperlinks with Internet target documents and, whenthe user activates a hyperlink, the computer transmits a request forthat document. As is conventional, the computer includes a mouse 44 withwhich the user can activate displayed hyperlinks. The computer alsoinclude other hardware and software elements conventionally included inpersonal computers, such as a keyboard 46, a processor 48, disk storagedevice 50 such as a hard disk drive, input/output interfaces 52, anetwork interface 54, and a removable read/write storage device 56 suchas a drive that uses a CD-ROM 58 or floppy disk. The software elementsof the programmed computer, such as browser 40, are illustrated forpurposes of clarity as executable in a main memory 60, but as personsskilled in the art will understand they may not in actuality residesimultaneously or in their entireties in memory 60. The computer hasother hardware and software elements of the types conventionallyincluded in personal computers, such as an operating system, but are notshown for purposes of clarity. Note that software elements can be loadedinto the computer via read/write storage device 56 or network 22.

The computer also has a receipt organizer or handler 62. Receipt handler62 allows buyer 20 to collect, store, categorize, sort and view receiptssuch as receipt 26. The receipts are received via network 22 and can bestored by receipt handler 62 in a user receipt database 64 on diskstorage device 50. Receipt handler 62 can convert receipt data to theformats understood by common commercially available financial softwareprograms (not shown), such as the personal finance program QUICKEN, anddownload the data to those programs for further processing.

Although in the illustrated embodiment of the invention the computingdevice on which the buyer receives receipts is described as aconventional personal computer such as a desktop or laptop computer, inother embodiments of the invention the device can be any suitable typeof device that has a hypermedia user interface, i.e., that allows a userto interact with documents through the use of hyperlinks. Also note thatthe network can be wired, wireless or any suitable combination or hybridof such media. Examples of suitable computing devices include thosecommonly referred to as personal digital assistants (PDAs), palmtopcomputers, and digital cellular telephones and other hybrid voice/datacommunication devices.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the system operated by seller 18 includes aserver computer system of the type conventionally used by e-merchants toeffect electronic commerce transactions. For purposes of clarity, thesystem is illustrated as a single or stand-alone server computer, but aspersons skilled in the art will recognize, the system can includemultiple layers of servers (e.g., front-end and back-end) and storagedevices as is common in the art for such e-commerce server systems.Similarly, although not illustrated for purposes of clarity, the systemcan include a video monitor, keyboard, mouse and other user input/outputdevices of the types commonly included in such e-commerce server systemsfor use by system administrators and similar personnel. As a computer,it includes elements along the lines of a memory 65, network interface66, processor 68, disk storage device 70, and a removable-mediumread/write storage device 72.

The software elements of the programmed computer include an e-commerceengine 74, a receipt generator 76, and a receipt organizer or handler78. Receipt handler 78 can use application program interfaces (APIs) 80to interface with configuration reference tables 82, described infurther detail below, which can be stored locally on disk storage device70 as in the illustrated embodiment of the invention or, in otherembodiments, can be stored remotely, e.g., on a server operated byanother entity. APIs 80 also interface receipt handler 78 withapplications that are part of e-commerce engine 74. In other words,e-commerce engine 74, which has overall control of the sales transactionwith buyer 20, including controlling the exchange of appropriate Webforms with buyer 20, can invoke APIs 80 at the point in the transactionat which receipt 26 (FIG. 2) is to be generated. This, in turn, causesreceipt generator 76 to generate receipt 26 using tables 82 as describedin further detail below. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention,generated receipts are not only transmitted to the buyers thatparticipated in the transaction but copies are also stored in a receiptdatabase 84. Note that software elements can be loaded into this servercomputer via a CD-ROM 86 or similar medium readable by read/writestorage device 72 or can be loaded via network 22 from a remote source.Receipt handler 78 is similar to receipt handler 62 of FIG. 4 but can beused remotely via network 22 by more persons than buyer 20; anyone whocompleted a sales transaction with seller 18 can remotely accessreceipts pertaining to the transaction. Furthermore, others who did notparticipate in any transactions, such as market research firms andmanufacturers of products offered by seller 18, may be permitted accessto aggregate information generated by receipt handler 78 using datagleaned from the stored receipts, such as statistics and raw numberswithout any information identifying the buyers. Because buyer privacymay be important, such other parties may not be permitted access to thereceipts themselves.

Although in the illustrated embodiment of the invention the seller'scomputing system or server is accessible to remotely located users(i.e., buyers or third parties), in other embodiments it can beaccessible to on-site users for some or all of the uses described above.For example, the system can be located in a seller's retail store foruse by customers in returning products or otherwise accessing theirstored receipts. Such an in-store system can be housed in a kiosk andcan include a convenient user interface, such as a menu-driventouch-screen. Such a system can also issue coupons to customers, eitherby printing them or transmitting directly to the store's POS system,conduct customer satisfaction surveys, and perform other ancillaryfunctions. A coupon offer directed to the buyer and associated couponcodes can be included in the receipts along with an associated hyperlinkor any other suitable mechanism for producing or otherwise redeeming thecoupon.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the system operated by originator 24 issimilar to that operated by seller 18 but does not engage in salestransactions. It includes only a receipt generator 88 similar to receiptgenerator 76 (FIG. 5), associated APIs 90 similar to APIs 80 (FIG. 5),and a receipt organizer or handler 92 similar to receipt handler 78(FIG. 5). It likewise includes a receipt database 89 and configurationreference tables 91 similar to those described above with regard toseller 18. As in the merchant or e-commerce server system describedabove, for purposes of clarity, the system is illustrated as a single orstand-alone server computer, but persons skilled in the art willrecognize that the system can have a more complex architecture andinclude other elements commonly included in commercial servers. As inthe above-described system, it includes similar conventional computerelements along the lines of a memory 94, network interface 96, processor98, disk storage device 100, and a removable-medium read/write storagedevice 102 for reading from and writing to a disk 104.

The major difference between this system of originator 24 and the systemof seller 18 is that this system only generates and handles receipts anddoes not participate in the sales transactions themselves. Receiptgenerator 88 operates in response to instructions (received via network22) from sellers to generate receipts. From the perspective of thebuyers such as buyer 20, the role of seller 18 in issuing receipts istransparent. That is, buyer 20, in conducted a sales transaction withseller 18, is not normally informed of the source of receipts; buyer 20may assume that the receipts he receives originate with seller 18 whenin fact, in this instance, they originate with originator 24.

Receipt handler 88 is similar to receipt handler 78 of FIG. 5 but can beused remotely via network 22 by more buyers than those who participatedin a sales transaction with seller 18; any buyer who completed a salestransaction with any seller (e.g., either seller 18 or seller 30 in theillustrated embodiment) can remotely access receipts pertaining to thetransaction. Their access to such receipt-handling services may beconditioned upon complying with restrictions imposed by originator 24,such as by providing personal information and selecting a username andpassword. As in the system described above, others who did notparticipate in any transactions but who may wish to obtain aggregatereceipt information for market research or other purposes may be grantedaccess upon compliance with any conditions imposed by originator 24.

Note that in the illustrated embodiment of the invention not onlyoriginator 24 but also seller 18 is capable of generating and handlingreceipts. Nevertheless, in a similar embodiment, a given seller that isotherwise the same as seller 18 may not have such capability and mayobtain receipt generation services (as well as receipt-handlingservices) from another entity, such as originator 24. In suchembodiments, the seller can be essentially the same as seller 18 but hasa system with APIs that cause a receipt generation instruction to betransmitted to originator 24. In response to such an instruction,originator 24 generates receipt 26 and transmits it to buyer 20 onbehalf of that seller. It is contemplated that the seller pay a fee forreceipt generation services.

The methods described above perhaps can be more readily understood withreference to the flow diagram of FIG. 7A. At step 106 seller 18 andbuyer 20 conduct a sales transaction. In the illustrated embodiment ofthe invention, buyer 20 shops a Web site operated by seller 18. In otherwords, the Web site presents pages (not shown) to buyer 20 in theconventional manner that illustrate or describe the products or servicesavailable for sale or otherwise induce buyer 20 to make a purchase.Browser 40 (FIG. 4) transmits requests for Web pages to seller 18, whichin response transmits the requested pages to buyer 20, where they arepresented to buyer 20 in the conventional manner on display 42. As anexample, the Web site may be operated by a seller of consumer productssuch as consumer electronics, kitchen items and other household items.In the conventional manner, buyer 20 selects an item such as a stereo asa purchase. Buyer 20 may select other items before indicating he isfinished shopping. A metaphor to shopping in a physical retail storethat is sometimes used on e-commerce Web sites for this step of thetransaction is “proceeding to checkout.” In the checkout step of thetransaction, buyer 20 submits payment information, such as a credit cardnumber, and shipping address information. The transaction concludes in aconventional manner with buyer 20 receiving a Web page setting forth thepurchases, the payment information and other information and askingbuyer 20 to confirm by, for example, clicking on a “confirm” button. Inresponse, receipt 26 is generated at step 108 and transmitted to buyer20 at step 110. As noted above, in the illustrated embodiment of theinvention (see FIG. 2) these steps are performed by seller 18transmitting an instruction to originator 24 to issue receipt 26, andoriginator 24 generating and transmitting receipt 26. In otherembodiments, seller 18 itself can perform steps 108 and 110 withoutassistance from originator 24. In addition to transmitting receipt 26,originator 24 maintains a copy in database 89 (FIG. 6).

At step 112 buyer 20 receives and opens receipt 26. Like other Webdocuments received under control of browser 40, the opened receipt 26 ispresented to buyer 20 on display 42 in hypertext format. (See FIG. 4.)Accordingly, buyer 20 can click on and otherwise interact withhyperlinks and other elements of receipt 26 using mouse 44 and keyboard46.

Receipt 26 can have, for example, an appearance along the lines of thatshown in FIG. 9 when opened and displayed in a browser window 114. Thisrepresentation of receipt 26 includes, among other elements,representations of: the name or logo 116 and address 118 of seller 18,the name of buyer 120, the date of the sale, a list 124 of thepurchases, a corresponding list of their sales prices 126, and thesubtotals and total price paid 128. Note that these elements representinformation that is essentially the information included in anyconventional sales receipt. In addition to these elements arerepresentations of the name or logo 130 of third party 32 and someproducts 132 offered for sale by third party 32. Also represented are a“check warranty” button 134, a “register product(s)” button 136, a“check rebates” button 138 and a “customer survey” button 140.

Products 132 are selected for inclusion by originator 24 when receipt 26is generated. In the illustrated example, the products 132, a televisionand a stereo component, are commercially related to one of the items inlist 124, the “Wavphonica Stereo—[item number] 342567,” by virtue of allbeing used in the field of consumer entertainment electronics. Products132 are selected in response to configuration reference tables 91 (FIG.6), which in essence relates each product offered for sale by eachseller to products that that seller deems to be commercially related tothat product. In addition to products that are used in the same field,other suitable commercially related products 132 are accessory items forthe stereo system, such as cables. Receipt generator 88 inputs to tables91 the product that is the subject of the sales transaction or primarypurchase. In response, tables 91 output one or more products 132 thatare commercially related to the primary purchase. Receipt generator 88then inserts representations of these products 132 into receipt 26.Buyer 20, in viewing the generated receipt 26, is thus induced by therepresentations of the selected products 132 to purchase one or more ofthem as secondary purchases.

To initiate the process of purchasing one of products 132, buyer 20clicks on its representation, as indicated by step 133 in FIG. 7B. Therepresentation is associated with an active hyperlink in receipt 26.Accordingly, in response to clicking on it, browser 40 (FIG. 4)transmits a request for a Web page that offers the product for sale. TheWeb page (not shown) can be located at a site operated by seller 18 or,alternatively, the manufacturer of the product or other third party suchas a third party merchant. Although not illustrated for purposes ofclarity, as indicated by step 135 and 137 in FIG. 7B, buyer 20 interactswith the site through a sequence of Web pages in the same manner as anyconventional e-commerce sales transaction process, such as thatdescribed above. In other words, buyer 20 views information about theproduct available for secondary purchase, selects the product, providespayment information, and so forth. In instances in which the secondarysale is made by a third party merchant, i.e., not seller 18, it iscontemplated that the third party merchant compensate seller 18 for whatis in effect a referral of buyer 20. This compensation or commission cantake the form of a fixed fee per referral, as a percentage of the priceof the secondary purchase, or any other suitable form.

Buttons 134, 136, 138 and 140 provide further functionality. In responseto clicking on any of buttons 134-140, buyer 20 is presented with adrop-down selection list with information similar to that of list 124identifying the products purchased.

For example, as indicated by step 142 in FIG. 7B, in response to buyer20 clicking on button 134 and selecting a product, an associatedhyperlink in receipt 26 causes browser 40 to transmit a request for aWeb page (not shown) that depicts the text of a warranty for theselected product. For example, buyer 20 could choose to view themanufacturer's warranty for the “Wavphonica stereo.” As indicated bystep 144 in FIG. 7B, buyer 20 views the warranty. The Web page can belocated at a site operated by, for example, the manufacturer. Withregard to FIG. 2, in such an example third party 32 is the manufacturer.As indicated by further step 146, if buyer 20 believes he is entitled tosome action under the warranty, such as having the manufacturer serviceor replace the product, buyer 20 can interact with the warranty page torequest initiation of such a warranty service procedure. The proceduremay include returning the product to the manufacturer or an authorizedservice center. In such an instance, the procedure includes transmittinga label (not shown) to buyer 20 that he can print on a suitable printerattached to the computer and affix to the packaging in which the productis returned. The label includes all information necessary for theshipper to route the package and may contain additional information,such as a return authorization number, that is useful to themanufacturer.

In response to clicking on button 136 and selecting a product, anassociated hyperlink causes browser 40 to transmit a request for a Webpage (not shown) that is a form that buyer 20 can fill out with hisname, address and other information and transmit back to themanufacturer to register the product. Product registration is a commonmechanism used by manufacturers to obtain marketing information frompurchasers of their products and also to keep the purchasers apprised ofrecalls or any other information in which the manufacturers believe thepurchasers may be interested. If the manufacturer has provided a recallnotice, buyer 20 can interact with the manufacturer's Web site toinitiate return or service of the product under the manufacturer'srecall procedure. (See FIG. 7B, steps 150 and 152.)

As indicated by steps 154, 156 and 158, in a similar manner button 138provides a mechanism for buyer 20 to determine whether the manufactureris offering a rebate on the purchase price. The associated link can beto the manufacturer's Web site.

Button 140 provides a similar mechanism for buyer 20 to respond to acustomer survey (not shown) provided by the manufacturer or the sellerthrough an associated hyperlink to the corresponding Web site.

In response to selecting or clicking on a representation of a productlisted in list 124, an associated hyperlink causes browser 40 totransmit a request to originator 24. In response, originator 24 providesan associated product-specific Web page that can have an appearancealong the lines of that shown in FIG. 10. In the illustrated embodimentof the invention, this page provides information and options similar tothose appearing on receipt 26 itself plus additional information andoptions. In other embodiments, all such information and options can beprovided on the receipt or, alternatively, on an associatedproduct-specific page such as this. Among the information provided onthis page is: a representation of the name 160 of buyer 20, date ofpurchase 162 of the selected product, and product-identifyinginformation 164.

In addition, the page includes a representation of an “accessories”hyperlink 165. In response to selecting or clicking on hyperlink 165,browser 40 is directed to a process provided by originator 24 thatselects accessory products that are related to the selected product.Accessories are selected using configuration reference tables (FIG. 6)in the same manner described above with regard to selection of products132. Buyer 20 is presented with an opportunity to purchase suchaccessories in the manner described above.

The page further includes a “return to digital receipt” button 166, a“users manual” button 168, a “shipping status” button 170, a “videoinstructions” button 172, a “categorize product” button 174, a“warranty” button 176, a “product returns” button 178, a “write review”button 180, and a “recalls” button 182. Some of these buttons initiatefunctions duplicative of those described above, such as “warranty”button 176 and “recalls” button 182. The returns procedure under button178 includes, as described above, transmitting a label (not shown) tobuyer 20 that buyer 20 can print and affix to the packaging in which theproduct is returned. Button 166, as the name implies, returns browser 40to receipt 26 as represented in, for example, FIG. 9.

In response to clicking on button 168, an associated hyperlink causesbrowser 40 to transmit a request for a page (not shown) that depicts thetext of a user's manual for the selected product. The hyperlink may bedirected to the manufacturer's web site or another entity's web site. Itis sometimes the case that an entity separate from the manufacturer of aproduct publishes manuals for the product. In either case, a third party32 (i.e., neither seller 18 nor originator 24) supplies the manual tobuyer 20. Note that a representation of a “product specifications”hyperlink 169 can provide a similar function. In response to clicking onhyperlink 169, specifications for the selected product are retrievedfrom a suitable, e.g., the manufacturer's, Web site.

In response to clicking on button 170, an associated hyperlink causesbrowser 40 to transmit a request for a page (not shown) that indicatesthe shipping status of the purchase made by buyer 20. Seller 18 includessuitable methods in its e-commerce engine 74 to respond to such arequest by determining the shipping status and transmitting it to buyer20. Automated checking of shipping status of an order is in and ofitself well known in the art and thus readily capable of implementationby one of ordinary skill.

Button 172 provides functionality similar to that of button 168, butrather than a textual or graphical instruction manual, the informationis provided in video or movie format.

In response to clicking on button 174, an associated hyperlink causesbrowser 40 to transmit a request for a page (not shown) that allowsbuyer 20 to associate a category with the purchased item. The hyperlinkmay be directed to the web site of either originator 24 or seller 18,depending on which entity's receipt organizer service buyer 20 is using.The receipt organizer is described in further detail below. The categoryaids buyer 20 in searching and organizing receipts. For example, buyer20 can associate the selected item with a “gift” category. Then, usingthe organizer service, buyer 20 can search for all receipts of thecategory “gift.”

“Product returns” button functions similarly to “warranty” button 134but does not include a step whereby buyer 20 can view a warranty. (SeeFIG. 7B, steps 184 and 186.) Rather, buyer 20 uses button 134 toinitiate a procedure to return the selected product for reasons otherthan warranty service. For example, seller 18 may have a policy thatallows buyers to return merchandise with which buyers are unsatisfied.Alternatively to seller 18, the return procedure can be provided bythird party 32.

In response to clicking on button 180, an associated hyperlink causesbrowser 40 to transmit a request for a page (not shown) that allowsbuyer 20 to enter a review of the product, i.e., the buyer's opinion ofthe merits of the product. The form can be returned to originator 24 andposted on the Web site. Alternatively, the review can be transmitted toa Web site of seller 18 or third party 32. Other potential buyers canread the reviews of a product before deciding whether to purchase it.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, buyer 20 can participate in a receiptorganizer service operated by an entity such as originator 24. Theservice is accessed via the Web using the computer and its browser 40 inthe conventional manner described above. Receipt handler 92 (FIG. 6) oforiginator 24 controls the receipt organizer functions described below.At step 188 buyer 20 accesses a Web site of originator 24 and interactswith a home page (not shown) that includes, among other options,registering for the organizer service. In essentially the same manner inwhich one registers for conventional Web-based services, buyer 20completes a form in which he provides personal information such as hisname and address and selects a user name and password. In response tosubmitting this form, originator 24 sets up an account for buyer 20.Thereafter, upon accessing the Web site home page, buyer 20 can selectthe option of logging in to the receipt organizer service by providinghis user name and password, as indicated by step 190. After logging in,buyer 20 is presented with a page that provides several options, such as“receipts” and “reports.” At step 192 buyer 20 can, for example, selectthe “receipts” option. In response, originator 24 searches for andretrieves receipts for purchases made by buyer 20 and provides them in asuitable format, such as a chronological listing.

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary browser window 194 in which such achronological receipt listing is displayed in response to selecting the“receipts” option. Each line in the listing represents a transaction forwhich a receipt was issued. A column labeled “merchant” identifies theseller by name. A column labeled “purchase date” identifies the date ofthe transaction. A column labeled “shipping info” provides informationindicating the status of the shipment for that transaction. A columnlabeled “total price” indicates the price paid for the goods orservices. A column labeled “receipt type” indicates manually inputreceipts or automatically generated receipts. Buyer 20 can select anytransaction by clicking on one of the lines.

In response to selecting one of the lines, an associated hyperlinkcauses browser 40 to request a page providing further information withregard to the corresponding product or service purchased. Such a pagecan have an appearance along the lines of that illustrated in FIG. 12.Among other information, this page includes identifying information 196such as manufacturer and model number, Universal Product Code (UPC), SKUand serial number. It further includes a group 198 of buttons that allowbuyer 20 to categorize the purchase as described above. Using thesebuttons, at step 200 buyer 20 can select not only a category (e.g.“Appliance”) but also a sub-category (e.g., “Kitchen”). Buyer 20 canfurther select an event to associate with the purchase (e.g.,“Personal”) and a sub-event (e.g., “Gift”). In addition, buyer 20 canselect a recipient and sub-recipient to associate with the purchase.Another group 202 of buttons are included for the similar purpose ofadding an indication whether the purchase is tax-deductible or otherwisetax-related and whether the purchase is to be considered part of theinventory of items owned by buyer 20 (for example, for purposes ofsubstantiating claims under a homeowner's personal property insurancepolicy). The categorization and other information added by buyer 20 isadded or attached to the record of the transaction in database 89. Thepage also can include buttons 204 that initiate the functions describedabove for obtaining warranty service, user manuals, returns, and thelike. The page can further include an inducement 206 to purchaseaccessories for the product. The accessories are determined usingproduct reference tables 91 in the same manner described above.

Another option that buyer 20 can select from the options presented onthe receipt organizer service home page is “reports.” In response toselecting “reports” originator 24 transmits to buyer 20 a page such asthat illustrated in FIG. 13. Button 208 allows buyer 20 to query howmuch he spent at a selectable group of sellers or individual seller.Button 210 allows buyer 20 to query how much he spent during aselectable time period, such as the current month, current week orcurrent year. Button 212 allows buyer 20 to query how much he spent in aselectable product category (e.g., “electronics”). Button 214 allowsbuyer 20 to query what was his biggest expense. Button 216 allows buyer20 to query what he purchased for a selectable recipient. Button 218allows buyer 20 to query what are his tax-related expenses. Similarly,two input boxes 220 and 222 allow buyer 20 to enter starting and endingdates to query how much he spent during the time interval between them.In response to clicking one of buttons 208-218 and making a selection,browser 40 transmits a request to originator 24 that indicates thequery. In response, originator 24 queries database 89 and tallies theinformation requested by buyer 20.

Originator 24 transmits the information back to buyer 20, where it ispresented in a suitable Web page. For example, if buyer 20 clicks onbutton 216 and selects from the displayed options a recipient named“Susan,” buyer 20 receives in response a Web page such as thatillustrated in FIG. 14. Records of all purchased items to which buyer 20attached a recipient categorization of “Susan” are displayed. For eachlisted item, the purchase date, quantity, receipt number, description,price, seller or vendor, category, event, recipient (in this example,“Susan”), tax-related status, and home (or business) inventory statusare displayed. Note that these are some of the categorizations thatbuyer 20 added in accordance with the procedure described above withregard to FIG. 12.

Note that the page listing the items purchased for the selectedrecipient (in this example, “Susan”) has an “Export to EXCEL” button224. In response to clicking button 224, browser 40 transmits a requestto download or export the displayed data to the well-known spreadsheetprogram MICROSOFT EXCEL. As persons skilled in the art will recognize, asimilar button can be included to export the data to any suitableapplication software, such as a personal finance program. An example ofsuch a program is QUICKEN from Intuit, Inc. In FIG. 8, step 226indicates this procedure.

To facilitate receipt data transfer, such as exporting the receipt datato finance and spreadsheet programs and the like, the receipt data isstored in database 89 in a standard or uniform format. This feature isprimarily important in embodiments of the invention in which sellersgenerate and transmit the receipts rather than having a separateoriginator entity (e.g., originator 24) perform those functions. In suchembodiments, there is a party similar to originator 24 in that itincludes receipt-handling and receipt-storing functions but differentfrom originator 24 in that it does not itself generate receipts. Rather,such a party receives copies of receipts directly from sellers andstores them in the receipt database where they can be accessed bybuyers, sellers and other entities in the manner described below. Insuch embodiments of the invention, when a receipt is received, it isconverted from whatever format that seller may use into a standard oruniform format for storage in the receipt database. Because all receiptsstored in the database have the same format, it is a straightforwardmatter to convert their data to a format compatible with the externalprogram, e.g., QUICKEN. Such standardization also facilitatesdata-mining.

At any time after logging in, buyer 20 can log out, as indicated by step228. It should be understood that not all method steps described aboveneed be performed in any given session, i.e., the interval during whichbuyer 20 is logged in. For example, buyer 20 may log in and downloadreceipt data to an application program without performing thecategorizing step. Likewise, the steps can be performed in orders orsequences other than that described above, which is intended to bemerely illustrative.

As illustrated by the above-described embodiments, the present inventionprovides electronic receipts having novel functionality, such upsellingor inducing secondary sales of related products and providing access towarranties, product returns, user manuals, recall notices and otherinformation potentially of interest to consumers. It further provides amechanism for organizing and otherwise handling such receipts.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made in the present inventionwithout departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. Otherembodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in theart from consideration of the specification and practice of theinvention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification andexamples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spiritof the invention being indicated by the following claims.

1. A method for providing electronic receipts using an electronic receipt generator, comprising the steps of: a. conducting a first plurality of sales transactions between a plurality of buyers and a plurality of sellers; b. transmitting information about each of the first plurality of sales transactions to the electronic receipt generator; c. generating by the electronic receipt generator an electronic receipt for each of the first plurality of sales transactions, wherein each receipt comprises detailed information describing the sales transaction, wherein the detailed information comprises sale price, total transaction amount, item description, and information indicating completion of the sales transaction; d. generating by the electronic receipt generator information from the first plurality of electronic receipts that describes the first plurality of sales transactions but that does not personally identify any individual buyer; e. transmitting the information generated from the first plurality of electronic receipts to a third party; and f. performing market analysis by the third party using the information generated from the first plurality of electronic receipts.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: a. generating by the electronic receipt generator information from a second plurality of electronic receipts that are associated with a buyer and that are associated with the plurality of sellers; b. converting by the electronic receipt generator the information generated from the second plurality of electronic receipts to a determined format; and c. transmitting the converted information generated from the second plurality of electronic receipts to the buyer.
 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: a. conducting a sales transaction between the buyer and a first seller; b. transmitting information about the sales transaction to the electronic receipt generator over a first network; c. generating by the electronic receipt generator an electronic receipt comprising detailed information describing the sales transaction, wherein the detailed information comprises sale price, total transaction amount, item description, information indicating completion of the sales transaction, and a hyperlink associated with a product return procedure; d. transmitting the electronic receipt over a second network to a computing device operated by the buyer, wherein the first and second networks are distinct; e. displaying the detailed information on the computing device; f. activating, by the buyer, the hyperlink on the computing device; g. transmitting, to the computing device and in response to activation of the hyperlink, return information containing steps for returning the product; h. displaying the return information on the computing device; i. requesting, by the buyer, a return shipping label for the product; j. transmitting the return shipping label to the computing device; and k. producing a hard copy of the return shipping label using the computing device.
 4. A method for generating de-identified electronic receipts using an electronic receipt generator, comprising the steps of: a. conducting a first plurality of sales transactions between a plurality of buyers and a plurality of sellers; b. transmitting first data about each of the first plurality of sales transactions to an electronic receipt generator, wherein the first data identifies individual buyers associated with each of the first plurality of sales transactions; c. generating by the electronic receipt generator an electronic receipt for each of the first plurality of sales transactions, wherein each receipt comprises detailed information describing the sales transaction, including sale price, total transaction amount, item description, and information indicating completion of the sales transaction; and d. generating by the electronic receipt generator second data from each of the electronic receipts that describes each of the first plurality of sales transactions but that does not personally identify any one of the individual buyers of the plurality of buyers.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of: a. transmitting the second data generated from the electronic receipts to a third party; and b. generating market analysis data by the third party using the second data generated from the first plurality of electronic receipts. 